NJ assistant fire chief handcuffed men, groped and violated them, lawsuit says

🔵 Ex-cop, fire official accused of sexual abuse
🔵 Lawsuit filed by 3 men
🔵 Allegations of handcuff use, sexual violations

TOMS RIVER — At least three men are suing a longtime local volunteer fire official for alleged sexual abuse, assault and battery in a lawsuit that also accused superiors of doing nothing when the behavior was reported.

Robert Sinnott was among 16 individually named male defendants in a lawsuit filed by John Does 1 through 3 on March 17 in Superior Court in Ocean County.

He was an assistant chief at the Silverton Volunteer fire company, at times referred to in the suit. It was not immediately clear whether Sinnott is still affiliated with the fire company.

Sinnott also spent at least two decades as a police officer, leaving the Island Heights Police Department in 2021.

“This case exposes a horrific pattern of sexual abuse and institutional failure within the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company #1 and Toms River Fire District 2,” the complaint says.

The 13-count lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, accusing Sinnott of systematically preying upon young volunteer firefighters over a number of years.

John Doe 1

John Doe 1 said that he joined the company in 2014, largely due to the influence of Sinnott.

In 2017, Sinnott allegedly asked for help putting together a presentation on proper handcuff techniques. The man agreed and Sinnott allegedly proceeded to handcuff the man’s wrists and then ankles, before groping him.

Doe 1 allegedly used voice commands to call out for a second work phone to call his girlfriend, which the suit said caught Sinnott off guard.

He uncuffed the man and threw “a couple hundred dollars” on the man’s bed before leaving.

The suit said from that point on, Sinnott called the man “shady” and allegedly disparaged his reputation, which the man believes worked against his ability to find a paid firefighter position.

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John Doe 2

John Doe 2 joined the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company as a volunteer firefighter in 2018 when he was 19.

“John Doe 2 was often openly referred to as ‘Bob’s boyfriend’” by other firefighters at the company, the suit says, adding “he never understood why.”

“Sinnott was very physical with John Doe 2 and other younger volunteers. He liked to display his dominance physically by constantly grabbing John Doe 2, forcing him into uncomfortable positions, and making inappropriate comments while doing so,” according to the complaint.

The second plaintiff says starting in 2021, Sinnott asked him repeatedly to help with a handcuffing presentation, which he declined until an offer of being paid in 2022.

The suit said similarly to the first young man, Sinnott allegedly handcuffed John Doe 2 and began taking photos — before roughly groping him, placing him in a headlock and choking him, rubbing his shoulders and grinding against him, forcing the man to touch his genitals.

Sinnott eventually released John Doe 2 and gave him 300 dollars, the complaint said, “then began “ignoring and alienating him.”

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John Doe 3

John Doe 3 joined Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in 2017.

Six years later, when the man was 27, Sinnott allegedly began “regularly sexually assaulting John Doe 3,” groping his groin, chest and stomach, the complaint said.

The alleged assaults first happened in a car, and then repeatedly around the fire house.

The suit said that any incidents caught on camera footage were deleted.

John Doe 3 reported the allegations to the Toms River Fire District 2 commissioners in 2023, and was allegedly told to stay away from Sinnott and not “make it obvious” that “there was an issue.”

Instead of any investigation, the suit said, retaliation came in the form of other firehouse members telling Doe 3 that he was a “cancer” at the facility where he still volunteers.

No comments from departments where Sinnott worked, volunteered

Messages sent to Sinnott via Meta messenger, as well as emails to the Silverton fire Company, Toms River fire district administrator and Ocean County were not immediately returned on Wednesday.

Sinnott left the Island Heights Police Department four years ago.

“Officer Sinnott, will be leaving the Island Heights Police Department and furthering his law enforcement career in Ocean County. Officer Sinnott, also known as Bob and Big Bob to many, began working in Island Heights in 1998,” a Facebook post by the department said in February 2021.

In 2024, John Doe 2 began hearing rumors about Sinnott handcuffing other members of the fire company, the lawsuit said, which is how the three plaintiffs ultimately came forward.

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